California Scrub-Jay: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Clever Birds · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. When a scrub jay finds a dead jay, it calls others over to screech. These noisy 'funerals' can last up to half an hour.
2. A scrub jay can remember where it hid more than 200 food stashes, what is in each one, and how fast it will go bad.
3. Some scrub jays steal acorns from other jays' hiding places. So before hiding its own, a jay checks that no other jay is watching.
4. No scrub jays showed up in Washington State bird surveys in the early 1970s. By 2020 they were common around Puget Sound and in British Columbia.
5. Wild scrub jays live about nine years. The oldest known, Aaron, was found in 1991, raised in captivity and lived to 19 years and 8 months.

The quiz

1. How long can the jays' noisy 'funerals' last?

• Up to half an hour (correct)
• Five seconds
• A whole week
• Ten hours

The screeching gatherings over a dead jay can last up to half an hour.

2. How many hidden food caches can a scrub jay remember?

• About 5
• Over 200 (correct)
• About 20
• Exactly 2

It can remember where more than 200 food stashes are hidden.

3. What does a scrub jay check before hiding its acorns?

• That the moon is out
• That the ground is frozen
• That no other jay is watching (correct)
• That it is raining

Some jays steal acorns from others, so a jay checks that no one is watching first.

4. Where had scrub jays become common by 2020?

• Florida and Georgia
• Mexico City
• The Great Lakes
• Puget Sound and British Columbia (correct)

Absent from Washington State surveys in the early 1970s, they were common around Puget Sound by 2020 and reached British Columbia.

5. How long did the captive jay named Aaron live?

• 9 years
• 19 years and 8 months (correct)
• 12 years and 1 month
• 30 years

Aaron reached 19 years and 8 months.

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